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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider Late Meralco surge not enough as EASL playoff bid falls short

Late Meralco surge not enough as EASL playoff bid falls short

Published Feb 12, 2026 12:17 am

At A Glance

  • The Bolts found their rhythm a little too late as they succumbed to the Ryukyu Golden Kings, 79-88, in the East Asia Super League at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
(Screenshot from EASL FB post)
(Screenshot from EASL FB post)
By CHRISTAN SALVAÑA
INTERN
The drought continues for Meralco.
The Bolts found their rhythm a little too late as they succumbed to the Ryukyu Golden Kings, 79-88, in the East Asia Super League at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
The loss dropped Meralco to 3-3 in Group B, marking their third straight season without a postseason appearance.
Meralco needed to defeat Ryukyu by at least six points to force a three-way tie at 4-2 and advance via tiebreak, but instead saw its campaign come to an end.
After trailing by as many as 20 points in the third quarter, the Bolts mounted a 16-6 run in the fourth, highlighted by back-to-back baskets from Ismael Romero that trimmed the deficit to six, 74-80, and briefly sparked hope for the home crowd.
But Ryukyu responded at the right time, as a Jack Cooley’s layup with under two minutes remaining pushed the lead to eight, 84-76, while Meralco struggled to capitalize on defensive stops down the stretch.
Romero cut the deficit to five, 79-84, with 45 seconds left, but with the Bolts still needing to win by six to advance, the dream slowly slipped away.
Meralco struggled to find its footing early, particularly on the defensive end, as new recruit Cady Lalanne — who replaced the injured Rondae Hollis-Jefferson — and rookie Jayson Brickman were still adjusting.
Ryukyu took advantage of those lapses, with Yoshiyuki Matsuwaki knocking down four three-pointers in the first half to help bury the Bolts.
Romero led Meralco with 24 points, while Lalanne and Justin Brownlee added 18 and 12, respectively.
Matsuwaki paced Ryukyu with 18 points, five rebounds, and six three-pointers.
Victor Law contributed 15, while Ryuichi Kishimoto and Ryo Sadohara chipped in 13 apiece.
The win propelled Ryukyu to the top of Group B at 5-1 and into the semis, with Taoyuan Pauian Pilots finishing second at 4-2.
Write to Ramon Rafael Bonilla
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